There are a lot of people here whose German is much better than mine, but:
Now he lifts 16 kilo weights, alternating right and left, 30 times--each side. And he snatches the 32 kilo weights (pl.). Very slowly he lifts them, first 10 times right, then 10 times left.

There was an earlier illuminating discussion of this, mostly about the crispness of his butt.

Been googling around a little, but most sites don't recommend weight totals. "Do your maximum" type stuff. Did find one at 20 kgs to 40 kgs, and a bodybuilder site uses 70 kgs with each arm. Which is what I remember, the bodybuilders use a bell with three 25s at each side.

Ok, think about a barbell curl. What would you think of someone who used a barbell with 75, and then 150? Just average.

Can you think of another fully televised election in which the hottness disparity between the candidates was so extreme? I really can't wait for the debates, so much so that I click between Obama and McCain speech videos on TPM so I can get the effect of watching O smile, and then Mac smile. And then I am comforted for our November chances. In some ways, stupid lizard-brain reactions are working against us this year (racism, fearmongering, those oddball PUMAs), but in other ways, our dumbest pop-song sensibilities are being drawn toward the right candidate, for once.

Like I said, I just did 10 with 20 lbs, and could have done 30 reps easily. And I could get cast in Wall-E. That means my max for ten reps is at least around 30-35 lbs. Obama, in very good shape, did 30 for definition and ten for strength. Twice my size, his max is twice mine.

Just opened one of my exercise books. 30 lbs is normal for an ordinary person. (What the heck did I do with the magazine)

Cala, there are important facts the mainstream media is not reporting. Did you know Obama is eight feet tall? Did you know that he often works as a body double in Hollywood? Sam Jackson requests him all the time, because Obama is far more cut than Jackson, and just projects a certain badassness in the close ups that Jackson can't muster.

Incidentally, shivbunny and I have decided to do the hundredpushup challenge, and we're already two days into week 1. I trust all you motherfuckers who thought this thing was a good idea are also suffering through it.

The reporter media seems to have been rather smitten, possibly delusionally so. If she they want to believe he does 10 reps of 70-lb curls on each side is not behaving like an unAmerican terrorist, she they will see it happen.

Clearly this is wrong, but it does not simply look like a mistranslation.

The weights mentioned in this Politico article a few weeks back sound more realistic and not consistent with 70 lb curls (unfortunately there is no curls mentioned, she may have even gotten the exercise wrong).

I'm going to the gym this afternoon. I'll also try your experiment. I'm 32, my guess is that I'm stronger than Obama. I'm also pretty sure that there's no way I can do 70's for 10 reps each arm on a standing curl.

51:Well, there are varieties of sitting curls that use your knee as support.

Ok, I'm through. Did some googling, and nobody believes in Obama. I told ya, now that he has the nomination (kinda) I am behind him 150%. He may not have the muscles to do 70 per arm, but he has the will. And a glowing green ring.

How we gonna end the war & pass health care without the belief in miracles? Yes we can!

What exercise are they talking about there? If it's shoulder presses, I do those with 50s but can barely curl 35s (though my bicep curls are pretty laughably weak compared to virtually every other weight I lift). If it's the tricep exercise, I also bet it's what CJB said in 49.

I have been doing 100 pushups a day for two months now. I just went to the gym to add a couple other things including dumbbell curls, which haven't done in 5 years or so. I did 20 lbs for each arm, tried to do 3 sets of 10. by the 3rd set I could only do 4 before my left arm gave out. and that was three days ago, and my biceps and forearms have been hurting really badly ever since.

I guess my point is that I thought pushups were doing SOMETHING for my biceps et al, at least using them a little bit when descending to the floor, but apparently not.